Pattern mechanism for machines for knitting lacework



.I. EPPLER.

PATTERN MECHANISM FOR MACHINES FOR KNITTING LACEWORK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, I919.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

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UNITED S ATE PATENT OFFICE.

. J .JoHmErrLEn, or'ririLAnELPnIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

rum nscmmsn managin non KNITTING LACEWORCK.

To all whom it may conc ernf, p,

Be itknown thato irrr EBPLER, a citi; Zen of the United States,'residing'at Philadelphia, county of; Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania,lfhave invented a new and useful Improvement in Pattern Mechanism for Machines for Knitting Lacework, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form' a' p'art of this specification. I .1... This application a division of an'application filed by me Juli-1e13, 1'918, Paten My invention relates to inachines for ting lacework and especially'to thattype thereof comprising bars, guiding the weft threads, which are slidable back a'nd forth for variable distancesfin accord'ance with the pattern or design of fthe fabric 'to be woven. These barsfarea'ctuated bymoni-- tors, which comprise "drums, located toward opposite ends of the'machine, which are turnable step by step and are also'reciprocable longitudinally toward the ends of the bars and in the direction Off/hell extension, these drums carrying pattern chains m.:

vided with removable radial pins which err gage the ends of the bars and push them longitudinally a distance dependent upon the length fthe pins. In the actualuse of these machines, the means for actuating and controlling these bars and monitors has not been satisfactory, and it is the object of my invention to improve these means.

One source of trouble has arisen from the difficulty of removing and replacing the pins and securely holding them in place. There are as many pins n each link of the pat- 1361116113111 as there are bars to beactuated and there are a large number of links in the chain, so that, in equlpping the machine to knit a new pattern, a considerable amount of work is involved in removing and replacing the pins. One part of my improvement shown) is pivoted 1n the usual manner. The 7 by a turning movement followed by withdrawal.

' A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in'the accompanying drawings, in whichi j Specification of Letters Patent/j Patented Feb; 7 1922, Original application filed-June 13,1918, semi No. 23am. pnivmeaana this application and m s,v 1919. Serial N9. 294,503. Y

"F is'a plan view of a part of a knitting "machine embodying my invention, many of the (parts of the machine not directly cooperating with the noyel features b .which','through a pair f bevel gears '0,

drives a longitudinallyextending shaftfd,

which, through a pair of' bevel gears :e, drives ashaft f, which extends parallel to the drivlng shaft band is located toward the other'end of the machine. The mechanism at opposite" ends of the machine is du plan View of part of the the frame a of the machine,

detail side view, partly in sec-- tion, of one ofthe links of the pattern chain.

plicated so far as, concerns the monitor and the means for' actuating and locating the same, and a description of one set of Inechanisrh willtherefore suflice for both.

' Secured 'to.and extendinglongitudinally from the frame a toward one end of the machine is a pair of parallel rods '9, uponwhiclif slides a: cross-head h, which afl'ords bear-- ings for the drum 7: of the monitor. The drum'i carries the pattern chain 7', several links f which are shown in Fig. 2. A takeup roller is on a guide frame m projecting I longitudinally from the cross-head h af fords means to support the pattern chain, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Each link is provided with a series of projections 0, each having a receiving socket 0 for the reception of a pin p, as hereinafter described. The sockets 0 correspond in number with the weft barsn, which are slidable longitudinally on the frame of the machine in the usual manner.

Opposite end hubs of each drum 7; are en gaged by the slotted forked ends of a rocking arm 1', the lower end of which (not the drum 6 must be positively held from turning and that, upon recession'of themonitor, the drum. must be turned to exactly the is moved inward aset of pins 7) must be in exact alinement with the bars n and that position required to bring the next'set of pins p into position for operation and must e again locked from turning until after the monitor hasfadv'anced and again receded.

The means for reciprocating the rocking arm 1'; for intermittently turning the drum,

and 'for'preventing the drum turningbeyond the position required to bring thenext set of pins p into proper position are not herein described, as the same form no part'of the present invention. The mechanismfwhich I prefer. to employ to effect. these operations is fully disclosed in Pat- I ent No. 1,327,228, of which this is a division.

' for the pins p. I have shown one spring for Extending transversely of the axes. of the sockets are-springs s which act as retainers two) adjacent pockets, opposite legs of each sprin extending, through transverse slots t, in the respective projections. Thebottomsof the-slots are considerably to one sid'e-ofthe center of the sockets and form stopsfor the springs when the pins are removedL Each spring between its ends-is bent arounda screw u located between the projections andforms a seat for the center of the spring. Each pin. p,:one of which isshownin Fig. 4, has a bevelledinner end a v and a; cross-notch w back of the bevel arthe chain by the wire within the slots in the projection andthe pin,'that it can not be accidentally'displaced. To remove thepinit is only necessary to first partially rotate it, thereby forcing the retainer 8 outwardly,

whereupon the pin may be readily ,l withdrawn. e V V :It WllltllllS be understood that not only aretheoperations of removal and replacement of pins very simple and expeditious,

but no separable fastening idevices are re quired and the pins are held in place with more certaint and security than'by] the means hereto ore employed. 7 7

Having now fully described my-invention,cwhat I claim; and desire to iprotectby Letters Patent is':

' A pattern chain eachother, some of the links having a'plu' rality of projections extending from one face thereof, there being a pin receiving. socket 111 each pro ection, a'transverse' slot for a lace knitting Iliachine having a plurality of'links pivoted to in each projection extending into thesocket,

sockets, each having a slot arranged to reglster with a slot in av socket, a spring seat between two adjacent projections, and a: spring engaging said seat and having. op-

positely disposed legsseated in the slots in adj acent'projections and adapted to seat in the slots in the pins to lock the pins intheir respective sockets.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, Pa, onthis 30th day of April,,1919. c f

' JOHN EPPLER'.

I pattern pins adapted to be insertedinto said I 

